Alphabet Soup for the Heart
by Adaelie
Summary: A collection of one-shots that exploit how difficult and amazing falling in love can be. Also includes several friendship stories. An Alphabet challenge to those who dare.
1. Acceptance

**Acceptance**

He had yet to come to acceptance with the idea he had fallen irrevocably in love with the farmer girl. She already had. And now she was leaving him because he wouldn't. Chelsea x Will.

**By Adaelie**

**Author's Note; **I had yet to see an Alphabet challenge sort of thing with Harvest Moon. So, I challenge all of you to all try this with Harvest Moon characters and shippings. It could be a friendship fic or romance fic, anything at all. If you can beat me to the end of the Alphabet then I will write anything you _want_ me to write. Aside from lemons, I refuse to write those. Otherwise, I'm totally open to anything. Anyway, here's the start of mine! I've been obsessing over my Sunshine Islands copy, and Will. I'll shut up now so you can read.

"_Will, do you love me?" "Why do you ask that?" _

"_**Because I love you.**__"_

He hadn't answered the right way. At least, not the way she had wanted him to. Instead now, she would spare him a half hearted glance. Maybe just a gentle smile that was all he ever really needed. Will had always known she was beautiful, more charming and charismatic than the other girls upon the islands. To him, the other girls seemed almost undateable; but Chelsea. _His_ Chelsea. She was untouchable. No other man could look at her the same way he did. He was certain that he was the only one who had ever seen Chelsea actually smile. She was an angel in his eyes. But yet, he hadn't come to terms with the fact he had loved her.

But now, she was leaving him because he wouldn't.

He looked at the lovely farmer girl, chatting it up with Julia and Natalie. Occasionally the three would turn their heads to look at him and giggle a bit. He gave a small smile to them all and Chelsea reflected, but with the cheap two-cent smile she gave everyone. It was almost sad; he missed the way she'd smile. The way she'd laugh. She'd always come to visit him on his yacht in the early hours of the morning. Given, he normally woke up at seven, but he'd always get up to answer the door and talk with the girl. Come rain or shine, she'd always come to say her hellos. She'd talk for a while until she realized she had to take care of her farm and talk with the other people in the town. She was such a sweetheart, he realized.

And she was leaving him.

She wasn't necessarily leaving, leaving. But it hurt more than anything at all to realize that she could have been his. She looked at him again, and smiled. He smiled back, although she only frowned afterward before carrying an armful of ores into his uncle's home. He sighed a breath of relief, having been spared a terribly awkward situation. He had spoken with all the others in the town, and all the bachelors of the town would give him a glare when he'd say how Chelsea talked to him every day and brought lovely flowers for him. Will hadn't realized how much she tried to make him come to terms with the fact she loved him.

And now she was with him.

Vaughn had right up stolen Chelsea from him. And now he was alone, more lost than ever. He was almost certain he had found the right girl when he had met her. It hadn't been until after she had left his world had he realized that she was the only reason he had been amongst these islands longer than anywhere else. He closed his eyes and sighed, blinking as he bit his lower lip looking as Chelsea kissed the cowboy on the cheek. She _used_ to do that to him. Will had always taken it as a gesture of kindness and would somewhat reluctantly kiss her back on the cheek.

But she'd never do it again for him.

"Will, dear." He turned and glanced at the Asian woman behind him. "Ah, yes Lilly?" He responded. Will flinched at how robotic he seemed now. "Are you ready for our wedding quite yet?" He sighed a bit before cracking a small smile at the treasure hunter. "Of course, love." Lilly smiled contently, at least before skipping off to dig amongst the caves of Volcano Island. She had always been untouchable to him. Chelsea had been his. He had never come to acceptance with the idea he loved her. She had. And now she was leaving him because he wouldn't.

Chelsea walked up to him now and smiled, lighting up her delicate features beautifully. Snow fell silently around the two. "Do you love me?" She asked again, and he tilted his head up for a minute or so. "Do you still, my lady?" He answered, excitement creeping over his voice. "I'll love you forever." She repeated. Chelsea was trying to steal him away from Lilly, wasn't she? As much as his heart called for the brunette girl, his mannerisms refused to allow him to do such a terrible thing to Lilly. Hurting another girl was something he simply could not bear. "I can't."

She loved him. And now, he was leaving her because he couldn't.

As he turned to leave, he swore he could have heard Chelsea's gentle footsteps running away against the snow. He could have sworn he heard her teardrops falling. How he wanted to hold her and keep her from crying. If only he had come to acceptance.


	2. Butterflies

**Butterflies**

She always felt that constant fluttering in the pit of her stomach. It wasn't until she had met Vaughn that she had realized such a feeling were butterflies. Sabrina x Vaughn.

**By Adaelie**

**Author's Note; **I'm on a roll, dears. I've finally found my Harvest Moon muse, Mike. I'm supposing it's because I had lost Toto somewhere along the lines, oh well. I hope you enjoy this story, it's pretty cute. I apologize ahead of time if Vaughn acts somewhat out of character.

_She always felt like she was going to die whenever people looked at her._

Sabrina had always been a self-conscious girl. She had never understood why though. She never understood why people would look at her and immediately determine that she was a shy, quiet girl. Given, such assumptions would shortly be proven true upon a small conversation with the girl. It could have been because of the way she had been brought up. A short, petite girl who was modest beyond all doubts. A pair of glasses only gave more emphasis to her pure naivety. She had never understood why she cared so much. Often, she would look at the bolder girls of the islands and doubt herself immediately. Chelsea was the friendly, happy type. She was more than willing to be your friend. Even if you didn't want her to, she'd always be there. It was something Sabrina had learned about the girl. She so often visited the household, saying her hellos to Regis and then to Sabrina before giving the black haired girl some ores or something of the like.

Then there was Julia. She was bolder, more sociable than anyone else. She was pretty and well kind to really everyone. It was no wonder why Elliot had developed such a crush on the blonde girl. She was nice, even to Sabrina. When people would so often get frustrated with her quietness. It was not a strange thing. People often would leave in the middle of the conversation, annoyed with Sabrina's lack of knowledge about pop culture and current affairs. Lanna was one of them. Sabrina didn't mind the fact Lanna would so often get upset with her, as she could see why. Lanna was a pop star, gossip and anything of high end fashion was her life. Still, the fisherwoman took time to speak with Sabrina on occasion. It was hard to hate Lanna when she tried so hard to be polite.

And Natalie was the somewhat bossy, but still teasing girl of the islands. She wanted friends, she obviously did. But so did Sabrina. Natalie was the one that Sabrina could somewhat relate herself to, and she assumed that was why the red-head would talk to the bookworm frequently. It was hard to not ignore the girl. She so rarely left the mainland and barely knew of the other ladies that lived on the island or at least ones her age. She would sometimes speak to Arisa, but such a time was little to none. She often envied the other girls that frequented the mainland. They were so beautiful and amazingly polite that no one would bother with the shy, bookish type of girl that Sabrina was. And yet, Vaughn always did.

She always had that constant fluttering in her stomach, like it was going to hurt her or something like that. It would never go away when she spoke to people, or even when she was just at home reading. It was not something she was accustomed to. At first, Sabrina had assumed it was because she was hungry, but when she approached the kitchen she found the idea of food to be appalling. Especially when she had eaten only moments before. She then took it up upon herself to think that it was because she barely knew the others at all.

Vaughn often spoke to her though, and had slowly but surely become her best friend. Perhaps it was a bit strange to the others how such a gruff person like Vaughn could become friends with such a shy, reserved girl like she was. Sabrina could hardly believe it herself. For some reason, whenever she spoke to Vaughn though; that fluttering feeling grew larger, making her stammer over her words in an embarrassing manner. She could hardly believe she did that when she was around him and he'd just laugh to himself.

It was funny sometimes though.

And then one time, she told him about that fluttering feeling in her stomach. Of course, Sabrina had never spoke to him about that feeling that she felt when she spoke to him. He laughed for a moment before glancing over at the girl before snorting. "Butterflies." He said, smirking slightly. "What about b- b- butterflies?" The girl stammered, looking at him awkwardly. "That feeling you keep having. Butterflies." She laughed as he did.

She always had that fluttering feeling in her stomach. It wasn't until she had met Vaughn that she realized such a feeling were butterflies.


	3. Crawl Carry Me Through

**Crawl (Carry Me Through)**

She had gone through so much. She had been broken more times than once. And every time she had to try to put herself together again. Like a child, Claire felt as though she was crawling again. And then upon meeting Skye, she learned how to walk again.

**By Adaelie**

**Author's Note; **Yes, I am casting a bit of a darker side onto Claire. But when have I not? Anyway, I've finally got me a challenger! Ah, the song used is "Crawl (Carry Me Through)" by Superchick.

"_How long will this take?  
How much can I go through?  
My heart, my soul aches  
I don't know what to do  
I bend, but don't break  
Somehow I'll get through  
Cause I have you"_

How long would this take? Blue eyes full of hate and despair, she looked on. She stood uncomfortably in the crowd, blonde hair covering her eyes. How many weddings had there been already? How many weddings had she had to suffer through? How many times… how many times did she have to see to make up for all the people she hurt? All the people she had run down in her mad dash for something that didn't even belong to her. The love of another. She knew this was going to happen sooner or later. She knew it all along. She often regretted leaving the city, especially now. For she knew that at this moment, there would no longer be any bachelors left in Forget-Me-Not Valley. The girl contemplated leaving, moving on to somewhere else. Where there would be fewer scars, less pain. It would have hurt less if she had left earlier. Her heart ached as she watched sadly from the sidelines as Rock was being married. To be honest, she wasn't really sure she loved him. But what chance did she have now? Claire would be alone. That was how it was meant to be, wasn't it? At any pace, had she left now; her farm and everything she worked for would have gone to waste.

They were never meant to be.

She never loved him, did she? She just didn't want to be alone. The blonde girl had nearly forgotten to breathe, but her heart had felt as though it finally stopped. As though it finally gave up. She didn't know what to do anymore. People left the beach, following Rock and Lumina to the reception. She didn't know what to do. She wasn't sure why she held on. But, if she denied herself even this glimmer of a relationship, what hope did she have? She would just fall. Who would be there to catch her? She felt as though she were a piece of metal beaten at too many times. Bending, contorting itself into something unmistakably dark, nothing that anyone would recognize. It would never break though. Much to Claire's despair. Thoughts of suicide were no stranger to her, but perhaps that was a darker part of her mind.

She shook her head, as tears came flooding to the edges of her eyes. The girl could feel her knees buckle as she fell to the sand, hands engulfing her face as she cried. "Fair maiden, what evil had come upon you to make you cry so miserably?" The blonde haired girl lifted her head from her hands, as she lifted her reddened eyes to return the thief's emerald gaze. "It's nothing, it's nothing at all." She mumbled, taking in a sharp breath to regain her composure. "It didn't seem like that from what I had seen, my lady." He held out his hand, while the other rested on her shoulder. Claire took his hand gratefully, pulling herself onto her feet.

She hadn't realized night had fallen. Had she been crying for that long? Claire had nearly forgotten that night fell much faster during the fall, and she stifled a little giggle. Her chest hurt, and she was certainly not in the mood for laughter. Her legs quivered, as though she were going to fall apart at any second. "It's nothing…" She answered now, although he gave her another glance; not believing her lie for a second. Claire bit her lower lip again, trying to hold back the tears before falling her head onto his shoulder and crying. Just crying.

The thief looked almost surprised as she cried into his shoulder. He had half a mind to run off, but a gentleman would not leave a young maiden crying all to herself. Especially at this time of night. "It'll be alright, my dear. It'll be okay. It'll be okay." He whispered into her ear, patting the girl gently on the back. "I'll be here for you; it's going to be okay." Such a bold promise to be made. But something inside him, something compelled him to say such a thing. Something about her was so intoxicating; it blurred his senses and made him feel like he had to do whatever he could to please her. To make her happy, to keep her from crying the way she did. "I'm sorry, I'm so… so sorry." She sobbed into his shoulder.

Claire could imagine how selfish she was being. Crying over lost loves that she had never even loved in the first place. Where had it started? And where had it ended? Where along the line had she finally lost her place? Had the idea of love been nothing… but a dream? Something that she could only hope for? "You'll get through this, dear. You'll get through this."

"How do you know? How do you know I'll be okay?"

"Because you have me."

"_And if I had to crawl  
Well you'd crawl too  
I stumble and I fall  
Carry me through  
the wonder of it all  
is you see me through"_

She was crawling. It felt like she was crawling all over again. She felt as though she was losing meaning, simplicity. It was slowly getting harder to get up in the morning. He knew that much. Every time he would wake up in the morning, often earlier than when she would wake up so that he wouldn't be caught and she wouldn't be hurt, the silver-haired thief would see her crying. And often, he was the one who had to wipe the tears away, and sometimes accidentally waking up the blonde farmer girl. He didn't understand why she was this way. He'd show up to comfort her at times, talking to her, letting her vent out her emotional pains. The more and more he listened of her hardships, he began to realize how absolutely selfish and delicate this beauty could be. He understood though.

She was in pain. And the more and more he sat there, holding her to keep her from falling apart; he grew hardened to the rest of the community. It had almost literally become a daily thing, him coming to see her; making sure she didn't try to kill herself. He had promised that he would be there for her. He had promised.

She was crawling. Claire knew that much. It was like she was falling more than she was walking. She had become like a plant growing in the dark. Broken up and twisted. But he was willing enough to help a selfish person like herself. Somehow, she would learn how to walk again. How to feel complete, without the pain she so often expected. But, as long as she was crawling; Claire was almost certain that Skye would crawl too. She'd stumble and fall onto the ground, crying out for her sanity to come back; but he'd carry her through. It was amazing, the way he made sure she got through every day. He was such a sweetheart, the way he took care of her. The way he'd go out of his way to make her feel so much better.

He had slowly become her only reason to live.

"_O Lord, where are you?  
Do not forget me here  
I cry in silence  
Can you not see my tears"_

Harvest Goddess, where were you? Where were you while she cried? Where were you when you saw her breaking apart, falling to pieces… dying? Where were you? You had forgotten her, hadn't you? You had forgotten about the blonde farmer girl, the one who was working so hard to bring you here. The one who worked so hard to make you remember that she was here. But no, you let her cry in the silence; let her die a little inside every day. Even with me there, I could only try. But trying is never good enough. It's never good enough for you, is it? It never is. What's wrong with you? Leaving her there? To break apart and crumble until her insanity drove her to her death?

Harvest Goddess, where are you? Don't forget me here like you did with her. Don't let me forget her. Just please, don't let me forget her. "Isn't that the thief that's been stealing our things?!" One of them shouted, and I turned my head to look over at the angry villagers. Rain fell down from overhead as I held onto my Claire, my beautiful, selfish, angry Claire. Her blonde locks, once so full of life in the pictures I had seen of her, seemed limp and dead. She was so pale now, so cold. I touched her face gently, and she didn't react. The burn of the rope was still there around her neck, all I could do was pray to the goddess that she hadn't died yet. That I had come to her home in time. Tears slid down my face as I cried in silence.

Harvest Goddess, spare her, don't let me forget her the way I had forgotten what it meant to be in love. She had to be alive, she had to be.

But even that sad fact was doubtless now, as I cradled her in my arms; and the villagers looked at the blonde with remorse. They looked at me, and one screamed. "What are you still doing here? Run to the doctor, they could save her!" My legs wouldn't move, and I held out her body for someone else to carry her towards the doctor's. They all left one by one, and I collapsed to the ground; face held in my hands as I cried.

I loved her. And she couldn't leave me now.

"_When all have left me  
and hope has disappeared  
you'll find me here"_

"Clear!" Dr. Hardy exclaimed, pressing the pads against her chest and she reacted for a moment. Her heartbeat was no longer going. My face was pressed up the glass window in the door, and I just stood there now. My Claire. My beautiful Claire, you had to be alive. You had to be alive. All hope had left me though; this was at least the second time they had tried to bring her back. To make her alive again. She couldn't leave me now. I need her.

"Clear!" Her heartbeat started again for a moment, just a moment; and she tilted her head to look at me. With what little strength she had left, she smiled at me and mouthed the words, thank you, to me. "Claire… CLAIRE!" I screamed, but she couldn't hear me.

_Beep…beep… beep…_

"DON'T GIVE UP ON ME NOW CLAIRE! I LOVE YOU!"

_Beep… beep, beep…_

_…_

She could finally walk again.

**Author's Note; **Alright, a bit of a sad one, but I enjoyed writing it nevertheless. I'll try to come up with a more cheery one for the next few, thanks for reading! About my challenger, I'm not so sure if she's going to actually start it, but check out Shimmerleaf. She beating me yet?


	4. Delilah

**Delilah**

She was his. And there was nobody in the world that could keep him away from her. Nobody, except for him. Gill x OC.

**By Adaelie**

**Author's Note; **Some background information for you to know while I write this fanfic. I do not own ToT, so I just barely know Gill's character at all, so just bear with me if he's a little bit out of character. And Delilah is one of my friend's OCs, so yes I'm writing this because I felt they were just the cutest couple ever. Don't like it? Well, I apologize and I'll get back to the canon couples. Maybe. In other words, Delilah does not belong to me, but in fact belongs to Emma. Get over it.

She was just another girl coming to the island.

She was never meant to be anyone special. She just came to the island to be a teacher, and possibly start a school on Waffle Island. It had been raining the day she came, and she wasn't the only one on the boat. He had met a few other girls, and he could have just as easily had any of them if he really wanted to. If he really tried. He could have had any of the other girls on the island, but she was the one that caught his eye. She was never meant to be his, this much he knew. But all the same, he adored her with every fiber of his being. He'd never admit it though. Gill just didn't do things like that. He just never did.

When he took her to sign in for the town's census, she had smiled and followed obediently. She had asked him a few things at the time, but he did not respond. Instead, he just carried on; uninterested. He thought she was cute, at least. But it was that which distracted him from his work, and with his father bent on setting him up with another girl so the man could get some 'grandbabies', it didn't spell good news for him. But sometimes, he'd come and visit her; and she'd wave and smile. It had taken a while for her to have a school built, so she taught the few kids on the island at her small little ranch. It wasn't anything much, but enough for the young teacher to get a little extra money to spend on necessities.

Still though, he insisted that he come with Delilah, to briefly teach her about the island's traditions.

She agreed, although she had asked if it would get in the way of his work. He was reluctant to answer, but he had anyway. He had told her that it was worth the while to teach her the traditions so she didn't appear completely clueless when things were celebrated; even if it had meant he would be behind in work. She had clearly taken it the wrong way and blushed at the idea that he would spend the day with her just to make sure that she understood what was going on, that she was worth to spend time away from his paperwork.

At that time, he never thought she was that special.

She would come and say hello, but he assumed it was because she said hello to everyone, every day. Really, it wasn't an impossible task; it was pretty easy with the town being so small. On the other hand, the island was a bit… well, large; he was surprised with the fact she never got lost. And often, he assumed she was coming in to ask his father if the school was any closer to being finished. And every time, she would bring in a glass of tomato juice for Gill, and it was strange how well she knew him without really knowing him. He had asked her about it one day.

"Delilah, how do you know I like tomato juice?" He inquired, looking up at the woman from his desk. "Well, I asked Luna if you liked anything." She answered, smiling as she put the glass down onto my desk. "Why, though?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow slowly. Delilah had thought about it for a moment or so before looking at him in the eye. "Because you always seemed so mad about something, and I just thought that if I brought you something every day you'd be a little happier." She answered. Gill's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates before coughing to regain his composure. "Oh, I see." He replied. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow Gill!"

Problem was, he didn't want to wait until tomorrow.

Every festival, she'd come and invite him to observe with her; and every time he would accept her invitation. It wasn't because he liked her or anything like that. Or in the very least, that was what he had convinced himself of. Of course, it was rare there was really ever anything to be observed at most of the festivals, and yet; she made so much of it. And besides, if he didn't have his father convinced they were going together, no doubt would he shove Gill with someone else. Most likely Luna. She was the only one in the town who seemed like she would deal with Gill's constantly sarcastic remarks day in and day out.

It was obvious.

One day though, Delilah had come up to him and asked if he'd come to Alan's Tree. Gill had agreed. He had wanted to tell her something, but what was it exactly? That constant fluttering in his stomach whenever she came by? The way his heart would sometimes skip a beat whenever she'd look at her? Or the way he'd selfishly claim her attention if she did as much as look away from him? What was he supposed to say? That he loved her? He couldn't even accept that with himself, he just couldn't.

He so desperately wanted to.

"Gill, I have to tell you something." She began, looking to the ground with a light pink painted across her face. She looked lovely, with the sunset reflecting off of her brown tresses. "Tell me what?" He responded. Although he could feel it, he knew what she was going to tell him. "I love you." His breath hitched in his throat, and it was suddenly hard to breathe, let alone talk. Or was he just being paranoid? "I- I- Um…" He stammered nervously, looking at her remorsefully. She waited for his response, and then it clicked in her head. "O- Oh, I see. I understand… L- Luna told me not to... not to try. I- I'm sorry, I have to go now." She proclaimed, running off. He could hear her crying. He regretted not answering her, not telling her all the feelings that burst whenever she came by. "Delilah…"

He had made her cry.

She was his everything. She slowly had become his one and only reason for living. Delilah, his beautiful, beautiful Delilah. Love was a horrible thing. One moment it could be the absolutely best feeling in the world, and then it could bring you crashing down. The day after she had admitted her love for him, she was just… gone. She loved him. He loved her. She said she loved him. He didn't. And now, he was paying the price. Because now, she left because of him.

His heart ached at the idea, and absolutely everything in the little town reminded him of her. The way she'd take walks with him. The way she would twirl her hair around her finger when she got nervous. The way she made his heart set aflutter.

He left.

He couldn't take the guilt that racked him. No, the only thing that mattered now was escaping the black bonds that constricted his heart. And then he came to a quaint little place called Ivy Point. It was a small little town, where everybody knew each other. And one day, he had come across a seventeen year old girl, shaking the body of another woman. The other woman was lying unconscious amid the snow, and his eyes flashed when he saw her. His beautiful Delilah. The one he had screamed for at times. The one who he was willing to give up everything for. Just to be with her. Just to be with her.

She was his. That was all that mattered in his state of mind as he watched people help carry the young teacher to the doctor's. She was his, and there was nobody in the world that could keep him away from her. Nobody except for him. She didn't belong to him anymore.

"Delilah."

**Author's Note; **So, that was nice, eh? Depending, I will write a sequel one-shot in the series. Of course, more things have to happen before I can write the rest, right? Hope you enjoyed!


	5. Electricity

**Electricity**

Imagine, how much a simple power outage could change a person's perspective on the other so easily. Angela x Julius.

**By Adaelie**

**Author's Note; **I have recently noticed that there is a surprising lack of Julius fanfics with Angela. Given, he's not exactly the manliest guy around; but come on. Sometimes guys who look like chicks are pretty cute. They might have gone a little overboard with Julius's appearance, but eh. He needs some loving too. So, I don't actually have the game, so please just bear with me if either of the two acts out of character.

Thunder rumbled overhead and lightning clashed in the midst of the gray tinted sky. It cast a darker light upon the people who stood beneath the Harvest Goddess's rage. So to speak. It was absurd how long it had been raining lately, and even more insane the way it had never stopped, never even letting the crops… nor the people of the village to see so much as a glimmer of sunlight. Given, it was easier on a certain little farmer, as she no longer had to water her crops. Although, the girl feared for her crops and their possible soon to be death. She rarely ventured out when the rain pounded heavily like this, but it had to be done; for the sake of her animals and the fact she had already run out of food. As well as the fact, the girl could no longer stand to be cooped up in her home anymore. She needed to see people, see faces.

She closed her eyes as she stepped outside of her house, clad with a raincoat and pair of rubber boots and an umbrella. A bit tacky needless to say, but she wasn't about to get herself sick. Angela walked to the chicken coop, feeding them and collecting their eggs before moving over to the barn and feeding them and collecting wool and milk. She headed over towards the shipping bin and tossed the things in. She shivered quietly, although waving at Maya, Chase, Colleen, Jake, and Yolanda through the window of the Sundae Inn. They all waved back, and she continued on her trek through the mud and cold.

Perhaps she was making too much of a deal about this, but it was freezing and she hadn't felt warmth in quite some time. The lights from the buildings were all that were comforting her now, the fact that there was still some light on the island. "Angela, my dear, come here!" She turned her head over to the accessory shop, looking quietly at Julius (who had surprisingly braved the weather to even bother with work on a day like this) the purple haired 'trendsetter'. If anyone asked her, she'd say he was a bit well… effeminate. She tried not to make a big deal about it, but the less she said about it; the bolder he began to become. No doubt, by the time the summer came; he'd be running around in a Speedo.

Angela shuddered at the thought.

Although, Julius seemed to have paid no mind to it and dragged the girl inside against her will. He grimaced at her bright, yellow 'circus tent' as he called it. "What are you doing outside, in… _that_?" He inquired, looking over the rain clothing with disgust. "I'm cold, it's raining; and I'm not in the mood for this. What do you want, Julius?" She snapped, shuddering in the cold quietly. Candace and Luna stood off in the background, although they had blankets wrapped around them. Thunder clashed again, and Angela visibly flinched.

"I'm just saying, you should at least have better taste in your clothes my dear! I apologize for saying this, but your daily work clothes aren't all that fabulous either."

_Slap!_ The sound of a hand making contact with his face resonated throughout the store, as she stood there shaking her head in irritation. "If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked!" She screeched, and then the light bulbs turned off. She stood there in the darkness, looking around trying to see if anyone was there. "Haha, very funny you guys, now turn the lights back on." She said, her voice shaking slightly.

"I c- c- can't, A- Angela…" Candace said in a whisper, hands trying to find the light switch. The young farmer girl flinched, rushing to press her face against the glass and realized that all the lights were off. The electricity was out. Her legs quivered underneath her, and a reassuring hand touched her shoulder and she nearly turned and slapped whoever was behind her. "Calm down, Angela; Candace and Luna are going upstairs to see if they can find some flashlights." Julius said, getting the girl to settle down.

"But why are you so jumpy, Angela? It's just the dark, unless… you happen to be scared." He teased, and the brown haired farmer went to slap him again; if only she could have seen him. He gripped her wrists, keeping her from hitting him again. "Calm down. I was only teasing, my dear. Nothing to be irritated over." He said, smoothing her hair to the best of his abilities.

"I'm… scared." She finally admitted, and immediately; she was pulled into his front, holding her close as he stroked her back gently. He whispered soft words into her ear, trying to comfort the girl. She blushed, thanking the goddess for the dark in this instance. She had always hated him in a way, the way he'd rag on her about how unfashionable she could be. The way he'd be so accepting of her gracious comments on how much of a cross-dresser was strange. The way he'd make sure she wouldn't cry when she needed to. …the way he made sure no one could do as much as hurt her.

The lights flickered back on as Candace and Luna came back with flashlights. It was obvious the way Luna complained about how hard it was to find the flashlights in the dark. All the while, Candace consoled her sister, although staring at Julius and Angela who were currently 'cuddling'. Apparently, they hadn't realized the lights had come back on yet.

Imagine, how a simple power outage could change a person's perspective entirely on the other.

**Author's Note; **Oh, my god. That failed, I apologize for those of you who had to bear through that terrible thing I call writing. Forgive me, por favor.


End file.
